Filed under: Car Buying , Budget , Chevrolet , Chrysler , Dodge , Ford , Hyundai , Toyota Do the opinions of automotive journalists matter? For us, that may be a bit of transcendental self-examination, but for the consuming public, it’s a very real question. Is a potential customer of a new family sedan going to rely completely on Consumer Reports , or are they willing to go with their own gut feelings and neighbors’ recommendations? Bloomberg has an interesting new report highlighting cars that are selling well in spite of not receiving high marks from Consumer Reports . One such vehicle is the 2012 Honda Civic , which has been largely derided by the automotive press. Yet sales of the Japanese compact are on pace to beat out vehicles like the acclaimed Chevrolet Cruze . One criticism offered for CR’s methods is their approach of putting all types of vehicles through the same type of testing. The Chrysler Town & Country as well as the Dodge Grand Caravan were given low marks for their performance in the slalom-the same slalom in which sports cars are tested. How important is that in buying a minivan? While cars from Korea and the United States are increasingly lauded by the automotive community, owners of brands like Honda and Toyota remain fiercely loyal.

Filed under: Car Buying , Budget , Chevrolet , Chrysler , Dodge , Ford , Hyundai , Toyota Do the opinions of automotive journalists matter? For us, that may be a bit of transcendental self-examination, but for the consuming public, it’s a very real question. Is a potential customer of a new family sedan going to rely completely on Consumer Reports , or are they willing to go with their own gut feelings and neighbors’ recommendations? Bloomberg has an interesting new report highlighting cars that are selling well in spite of not receiving high marks from Consumer Reports . One such vehicle is the 2012 Honda Civic , which has been largely derided by the automotive press. Yet sales of the Japanese compact are on pace to beat out vehicles like the acclaimed Chevrolet Cruze . One criticism offered for CR’s methods is their approach of putting all types of vehicles through the same type of testing. The Chrysler Town & Country as well as the Dodge Grand Caravan were given low marks for their performance in the slalom-the same slalom in which sports cars are tested. How important is that in buying a minivan? While cars from Korea and the United States are increasingly lauded by the automotive community, owners of brands like Honda and Toyota remain fiercely loyal.